As per last year (when we hosted a Dutch invasion of
mid-Wales) the Montgomery Hills Run weekend was based in the rural
splendour of Bacheldre Watermill campsite. Proprietors Matt &
Anne Scott mill prize-winning organic flour of many traditional
varieties and recently won the title of supreme champion, Waitrose
small supplier, leading a field of 155 entrants. Just thought
you'd like to know. Oh, yes, we had a couple of cyclemotor runs
from there too.

Philippa thought we'd give participants a gentle introductory
30-mile run round Shropshire on Saturday to warm them up prior to the
main event on Sunday. A navigational cock-up at 20 miles by the
leader (me) led us up onto Knot Moor via an extremely steep hill.
The Regalia Secretary had to push his James Comet up it, something he
would become accustomed to doing on Sunday too.

After the obligatory excessive consumption of alchoholic beverages,
burgers and buns on Saturday evening, Sunday dawned hot & sunny,
ideal weather for sweating up a range of carefully-selected hills to
Clun and back, chosen to challenge the lower powered men and
machines. Thirteen eager cyclemotorists assembled for the off; no
less than four Cuccioli were present, thus confirming it as the mount
of choice for such a route. Having been overtaken by many of them
I can vouch for that. As is customary on many NACC runs a good
proportion of riders chose to ignore route maps & instructions and
took off in the wrong direction at Upper Broughton. They were not
seen again until the half-way halt.

The Welsh Marches countryside is truly spectacular in early summer
and the narrow tracks and lanes we took were at their best in late
June, though thunder-storms had distributed a lot of gravel on them to
add to hazards such as blackthorn hedges, nettles & thistles.
Sights to remember included a farm full of scrap machinery, Clun
Castle, space-age public loos which play opera music, trout streams,
the Kerry Ridgeway and perspiring NACC members sent up an extra steep
hill by a route instructions error. Sorry chaps...

Nobody complained much and all participants seemed to be well
satisfied with their efforts. Thanks go to all who travelled from
afar (wherever that is) to do the run; especially Nick, who engineered
a combined trip to pick up his longed for Onion Baji tuk-tuk, the
Hummerstones Père et Fils, our esteemed Chairman and Paul
& Pat Witchard. See you next year, oh, and Ian, bring
something with pedals!